The present disclosure relates generally to a kitchen appliance and, more particularly, to a slow cooker that can be easily transported with little or no spillage of any contents therein.
Kitchen appliances, and particularly slow cookers, are well known. Conventional slow cookers are generally sized and shaped to allow a user to pick-up and move or transport the slow cooker from one location to another. Often, the user may want to move the slow cooker after it is loaded with foodstuff to be cooked.
However, it can be difficult to move or transport conventional slow cookers when foodstuff, particularly liquid, has been placed therein without spilling some of the foodstuff. The components of conventional slow cookers are not made to close tolerances, and any lid of a conventional slow cooker is typically not securely engaged with a container of the slow cooker when in a closed position. This creates a potential for the lid to inadvertently slide off the container when the slow cooker is being carried from one location to another. Also, because foodstuff cooked in a slow cooker, such as soup, chili, stew, etc., typically has a significant liquid content, there exists the potential of significant spillage if the slow cooker is tilted during transport. In addition, it can be difficult to find a location to temporarily place the lid once it has been removed from the container of a slow cooker, as users want to be sure that the lid is not misplaced or lost, and that the lid will not collect dirt or grime.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a kitchen appliance with a sealing lid that can be retained on a container thereof to inhibit leakage of foodstuff from within the container, and which can also be pivoted away from the container when the user desires to access an interior of the container. It would further be desirable to provide a kitchen appliance having a sealing lid that remains attached to at least a portion of the kitchen appliance when in an open position, but can also be selectively completely removed or separated from the kitchen appliance when desired. It would be desirable to provide a kitchen appliance that allows for adjustment of a pivoting mechanism of the lid so that tolerances between the lid and the container can be adjusted, if desired. It would also be desirable to provide a kitchen appliance having a lid that is pivotally attached thereto and a latching mechanism that allows a user to selectively lock the lid onto the container in a closed position. The device of the present disclosure accomplishes the above objectives.